From Amagansett Square to Cedar Point County Park and Rita Cantina to Marlena’s Pack Out, East Enders had a lot to celebrate Saturday night, as the Knicks ended a 53-year drought, beating the Spurs 94-90 in San Antonio to win their first N.B.A. championship since 1973. No New York men’s professional sports team has won a title since the Giants in 2012 — which, for some cities, is par for the course; for New York, it feels like an eternity.
At Amagansett Square, fans of every level of dedication — from fair-weather to die-hard — came out to watch Game 5 of the N.B.A. finals on the big screen. The sea of orange and blue hoped the Knicks would lock it down, even if it meant winning on the road.
“I’ve been waiting a long time. Oh gosh, 53 years. This is going to be it,” said John Goldberg before the game, as he took pictures of the crowd. “Their chemistry, the way they work together — everything is for the team. I really think the difference was Coach Brown. The way he coached this year. He used more of the bench. I think that’s the key — let the star players have enough energy to finish the game and not have to do everything themselves.”
Many of the kids running around the Square were just happy to be with their friends, including one young girl wearing a Knicks No. 33 jersey who had no idea who Patrick Ewing was. She had borrowed the shirt from her brother to be festive. But Francesca Miller, 10, dressed head to toe in orange and blue, was committed.
“I went to Game 4 and I saw them win. It was crazy. I was exhausted by the end of the game. We got home at like 1:30 a.m. The whole stadium was shaking and it was really fun,” she said. “I thought they were going to do it, but my dad didn’t. All of his friends were telling him to leave.”
Miller wasn’t leaving Madison Square Garden with the Knicks down 29 points in what would become the greatest comeback in N.B.A. finals history. And she certainly wasn’t leaving Amagansett Square on Saturday, convinced her team would win again and take it all.
Mason Jefferson, a senior guard on East Hampton High School’s basketball team, was also at the watch party with friends. Jefferson is going to Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina next year to play basketball, and said the chemistry among the Knicks’ former Villanova teammates — Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges — is inspiring.
“I love Brunson with all of his Villanova teammates — they played together, won national championships together, so they’re just doing it at another level,” he said. It’s a lesson he’ll carry with him to college. “Keep the chemistry and make sure the team comes before everything, because that will get you so far.”
After waiting 27 years just to see the Knicks in the finals, many groups of friends said this was a night they would always cherish.
“Look around, because this is a memory we’re going to have forever,” Marlo Klein said, sitting next to Mindy Bass and Marjorie Troob. “It’s community. It’s great to be with good friends, to celebrate.”